It is difficult to write a short piece about a term like “justice” in the Bible, because the concept is at once so central to the entire Bible, and yet so far from our contemporary understandings of that term.

We have to start with the fundamental heartbeat of the biblical text, a thrum which underlines our relationship with a living God who continues to reveal Godself to a …

When I converted to Christianity as a young man, I was new to the Bible and to the social conventions of the evangelical Baptist Church I soon joined. My long, flowing locks were troubling to many of my new church community (not to say my attire and attitudes) and I was approached by some who made the case that I should cut my hair. They did so on the basis of a single verse (1 Corinthians …

The Bible has quite a bit to say about sex. It depicts the benefits of human sexuality as well as its use as a tool of power that protects male honor. However, the only template for human sexuality in the Bible is God’s faithfulness to humanity as God’s covenant partner.

The Hebrew people gave sexual activity a worthy purpose: it was to provide families with children and increase Israel’s …

One day after class, a colleague asked about the day’s lecture topic. “Esther,” I replied. Smiling, she announced that Esther was her preschool daughter’s favorite story. “It’s a delightful story,” I said agreeably. Despite my cheery tone, I was quite certain that the version of Esther I discussed in class was not the same …

Craig Koester provides a fascinating explanation of the number 666 as used in Revelation 13. Watch this brief video to find out what this biblical numerical riddle might mean, and what John's message for his readers might have been.

These four words have been igniting imaginations since the beginning of time. As long as there has been a story to tell, the fire of imagination has been fanning into flame all of the components of a good story: drama, plot and surprise, twists, turns and suspense, action, conflict and, often -- redemption, grace and hope. Generations …

As a pastor serving in the field of children, youth and family ministry who has sought to partner with parents in the faith formation of their child(ren), I am often saddened to hear parents who feel overwhelmed, inept, and quite frankly guilty about their role in passing on the God story to the next generation.

As a dad who has a 14- and an 11-year-old under my roof, I can assure you that none of us want to go down the parent-guilt road. To complicate matters, if we check our social media feeds …

As a kid my grandparents repeatedly told (and retold) the story of our heritage, of our Scandinavian ancestors and their roots. Over the years grandma and grandpa made the stories come alive with various traditions and practices. Now years after my grandparents have died, I can truly appreciate their commitment to connect me and my story to our family’s larger story.

Why do people suffer? It’s a question as old as the Bible (or older) and as current as today’s newspaper. Someone we love dies. A child is abused or neglected. A tornado wipes out a whole town. And we ask, "Why? Why do people suffer?"

The atheist has no real problem here. Why do people suffer? Because that’s the way life is. Chance, circumstance, luck, whatever …

Podcast discussion with Eric Barreto, Cameron Howard, and David Lose.Article written by David Lose.

What does the Bible say about the cross? Quite a bit, actually.

But it doesn’t all agree. And while that may trouble those looking for absolute consistency among the four gospels, it also sheds light on the richness and variety of the ways the earliest Christians understood God’s work in and through the cross.

Imagine, for a moment, four artists who decide to paint a city. Because each …